HMC5883 3-Axis Compass

Description

This is a 3-Axis Compass using the low-cost but three-axis HMC5883 from Honeywell, allowing us to offer our module at a very nice price point compared with other electronic compass options. The chip is a 3.3V chip but we’ve included a regulator and level shifting for the I2C signals so the module will work with microcontrollers running at any voltage between 3 and 6 volts – perfect for Arduinos, BBBs and JeeNodes. We’ve even included a JeeNode header port for users who wish to use the board with their JeeNodes. There is a JeeNode example posted below, as well as Arduino code.

The z-axis is not addressed in the code yet, but we hope to make a combination compass and accelerometer board that achieves a true tilt-free compass. Until then, this is a great option with much less sensitivity to tilt than dual axis compasses.

Applications

Navigation

Robot navigation

Home brew virtual reality systems

Interactive installations

Astronomy

IMU (inertial measurement unit) with an accelerometer for tilt-correction